Starter for engines



Oct. 19,1926. 1,603,775

M. B. JACKSON STARTER FOR ENGINES Filed Jan. 13. 1926 2 Sheets-$16612 2 HERB;

Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

MAUNSELL B. JACKSON, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

PATENT OF FICE.

STARTER, FOR ENGTNES.

Application filed January 13, 1926. Serial No. 81,014.

This invention relates to starters for internal combustion engines of the type in which the starter pinion is manually moved into meshing engagement with the engine gear, and more particularly to the type of starter disclosed in my prior application Serial No. 67,577, filed Nov. 7, 1925, in which a continuous movement of the operating mechanism, for meshing the starter pinion with the engine gear, axially moved the pinion and rotated it as necessary to aline it with the gear. The'mechanism includes a finger having a sharp edge adapted to engage the starter pinion. The finger is carried on a rock arm so that these arts swing in a plane located at one side of the starter pinion. The finger is so mounted on the arm that it lies at an angle to the pinion face which it engages so that it may move the pinion either axially or rotarily on its shaft. As the pinion is rotated the angle between the finger and its engaged face on the pinion decreases until finally the angle may become so small that the finger may either slip on the pinion face or be so positioned that it will not axially move the pinion after its teeth are positioned for meshing with the gear teeth. The object of the present invention is to provide means for effectively rotating the pinion and moving it axially into mesh with the gear under all conditions.

I attain my object by providing the starting pinion actuating finger with a plurality of teeth adapted to engage the pinion, seriatim. This finger, pivotedon an arm, swings in a plane located at one side of the axis of the starter pinion and engages the pinion to axially move it' towards the engine gear. If the pinion teeth are in alinement with the spaces between the engine gear teeth when the pinion and gear come together, the finger will move the pinion directly into meshing engagement with the gear. Should the pinion teeth meet end to end with the gear teeth the axial movement of the pinion will be stopped and the manual movement imparted to the finger will cause first one tooth and then another to rotate the pinion until its teeth clear the gear teeth.

The manual movement will then cause the.

axially move the pinion into finger to again The meshing engagement with the gear.

, constructions are hereinafter described more fully and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section,

of my starter showing the parts in their inoperative positions;

F g. 2 an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the position of the arm and finger when the first tooth of the latter engages the pinion; and

Fig. 4 a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the position of-the parts when the first mentioned tooth has passed through its arc of. engagement with the pinion and the second tooth on the finger has engaged and rotated the pinion to bring its teeth in alinement with the spaces between the gear teeth.

' In the drawings like numerals of reference lndicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

2 is an armature shaft of a motor (not shown) and is provided with long pitched threads 3. A pinion 4 threaded on the shaft 2 is adapted to be manually moved, both axially and i'otarily, into mesh with a gear 5 connected with the crankshaft of an engine (not shown), thecommon' practice being secure this gear to the engine flywheel. ably mounted shaft 7 adapted to be oscillated by any suitable manually operated mechanism such as a foot pedal (not shown). On an arm 6 of the bell crank is pivoted afinger 9 which is provided with an arm 91connected by a spring 10 with the said bell A bell crank 6 is secured to a rotatcrank arm. The finger is provided with sharp edged teeth 9 and 9- adapted to engage, seriatim, a peripheral flange 4? on the outer end of the pinion 4. The spring 10 tends to maintain the finger in an operative position.

From this description it is obvious that by rocking the shaft -7 the finger 9 will axially move the pinion towards the gear 5 and into meshing engagement therewith if the pinion teeth are in alinement with the spaces be tween the engine gear teeth when the p1n1on and gear come together.

If the teeth of the pinion and gear meet end to end,-when the pinion. is being axially moved by the'fingejr 9 into mesh-with the gear, the axial -fnoveinmt of thepinion towards the gearrwill bestopped which will result infirst onejto'oth 9; and if necessary, the second tooth :9 rotating the pinion sufficiently to cause its teeth to clear the teeth of the gear. This is due to the finger swinging in a plane located at one side of the axls of the pinion and being at an angle-to said axis. When the finger has rotated the pin ion teeth past the contactin gear teeth it again moves the pinion axia y of the shaft and into meshing engagement with the gear teeth. In other words, the movement imparted to the manually operated shaft 7. is adapted to cause the finger to move the pinion axially towards the gear, then, if neces sary, rotate it to clear the gear teeth and then move it axially again to mesh it with the gear. If the pinion threads closely fit the threads on the shaft, the latter will be rotated with the pinion.

In Fig. 3, the tooth 9 has moved the pinion axially of the shaft and the ends of the pinion teeth are butting against the ends of the gear teeth. The axial movement of the pinion and the finger 9 is thus temporarily stopped and, as the movement of the bell crank is continued, the tooth 9 rotates the pinion. As the pinion is rotated the angle between the finger and its engaging face on the pinion is decreased until the angle may become so small that the tooth 9 either slips on the pinion face or rotates the pinion without moving it axially of the shaft. To ensure the pinion teeth being rotated sufficient to clear the gear teeth and then moved into mesh therewith I provide the finger with the hereinb'efore mentioned tooth 9 which is adapted to engage the pinion face at substantially the same angle as the tooth 9 original- 1y engaged it and at substantially the same time as the tooth 9 has disengaged it.

In Fig. 4: the tooth 9 has rotated the pinion until the teeth thereof have cleared the flywheel gear teeth. On the continuation of the movement of the bell crank, the tooth 9 will axially move the pinion into mesh with the gear.

The other arm 6 of the bell crank 6 is adapted to engage the spring pressed contact 11 of an ordinary plunger type switch and move it into electrical contact with the fixed terminals 12 thereof. These terminals are connected in a circuit in which the starter motor is also connected. With this arrangement the motor is energized when the pinion teeth are in meshing engagement with the gear teeth. The shaft 2 is thus rotated to thread the pinion, which is held from rotation by the gear, along the shaft and fully into mesh with the. ear. When the pinion engages a collar 14 ormed on or secured to the shaft its axial movement is stopped and it rotates with the shaft to drive the gear.

When the engine is started the pinion is automatically returned to its inoperative position in the usual manner. The axial return movement of the pinion is limited by an abutment formed as a washer 15 disposed on the turned down end of the shaft 2 and held in place thereon b means of a nut 20 threaded on the said en To releasably retain the pinion out-of mesh with the gear, I provide a spring pressed ball 16 carried in the shaft 2 and adapted to frictionally engage a re cess or indentation 17 formed at the inner end of the pinion. The ball 16 is also adapted to prevent the pinion from accidentally sliding along the shaft, due to road jars or when travelling down inclines, and meshing with or contacting against the side of the engine gear 5.

The face of the peripheral flange 4 which is engaged by the finger 9 may be roughened, knurled or serrated in any suitable manner to give the finger teeth a good grip even though comparatively dull or rounded off.

What I claim is:

1. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; a starter pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh Wi.th a gear of the engine to be started; a

pivoted finger provided with a plurality of teeth adapted to engage the pinion eccentric to its axis; and means for actuating the finger to cause such longitudinal movement of the starter pinion and to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teeth on the pinion meet end to end with the teeth on the gear.

2. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; a starter pinion mounted -1tS operative position, the finger'havmg a thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started; a pivoted arm; a finger pivoted on the arm and located at one side of the axis of the pinion; means tending to retain the finger in its operative position, the finger having a plurality of teeth adapted to engage the pinion seriatim; and means for actuating the arm to cause such longitudinal movement of the starter pinion and'to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teeth on the pinion meet. end to end with the teeth on the gear.

3. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; a starter pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started; a pivoted arm; a finger pivotedon the arm "and located at one side of the axis of the pinion; means tending to retain the finger in plurality of sharp edged teeth adapted to engage the pinion seriatim; and means for actuating the arm to cause such longitudinal movement of the starter pinion and to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teethon the pinion meetend to end with the teeth on the gear.

4. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; 9. starter pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started, the

I Einion being provided with a peripheral ange; a pivoted finger provided with a plurality of sharp edged teeth adapted to engage the flange seriatim; and means for actuating thefinger to cause such longitudinal movement of the starter pinion and to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teeth on the pinion meet end to end with the teeth on the gear.

5. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; a starter pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started; a

pivoted arm; a finger carried on the arm and located at one side of the axis of the inion and at an angle thereto, the finger eing provided with a plurality of radially disposed teeth adapted to enga e the end face of the pinion; and means or rocking the arm to cause such longitudinal movement of the pinion and to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teeth on the pinion meet end to end with the teeth on the gear,

the angle beween the teeth on the finger being such that as one tooth is disengaged from the said face the next tooth will engage it substantially at the same angle that the first mentioned tooth originally engaged it. Signed at Toronto, Canada, this 6th day of January 1926. v

MAUNSELL B. JACKSON. 

